
Held from 4 July to 2 August the Savonlinna Opera Festival Finland is regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world with Olavinlinna Castle on Lake Saimaa providing an amazing backdrop.
Savonlinna is a historic city set in Finland’s lake district. Each year it is transformed in summer with 70,000 people attending the world famous music festival which features operas by Mozart, Verdi and Wagner.
Mika Nevalainen, the festival’s commercial director, says “Savonlinna, in its summer splendour, is at its most picturesque during the festival. Visitors will be enthralled by the Nordic scenery, the medieval ambience, and the performances by world-renowned opera stars.”
Savonlinna Opera Festival Finland
It is not just its amazing setting that makes the festival unique. The festival draws some of the finest operatic performances each year.
This year will see performances of Macbeth, Turandot, Boris Godunov, The Last Temptations, and The Fairy Queen, as well as the Timo Mustakallio Singing competition. Full details of the programme can be found here.
When Is Savonlinna Opera Festival 2025?
4 July to 2 August.
Where Is It?

Olavinlinna Castle, Savonlinna, Finland is the spectacular setting for the opera festival. To discover what you can do in the region, please read mark Bibby Jackson’s Discovering Savonlinna and Lake Saimaa Finland’s Lake District.
How to Get to Savonlinna?
Savonlinna, is a one-hour flight, or four hours by train, from Helsinki.
Savonlinna Opera Festival 2025
For more information on the Savonlinna Finland Opera Festival, or to purchase tickets, visit: https://operafestival.fi/en/.
Savonlinna Opera Festival Dress Code
There is no formal dress code for the opera festival but as it is held in a medieval castle at night, audiences are advised to bring something warm to wear.
Things To Do in Finland’s Lakeland
This is a most spectacular region of the country. To discover what you can do in your trip to Lakeland Finland, go to the official Visit Lakeland Finland website.